920 and T-mobile in the US.

[anon(5335877)]

On ATT? What plan is that? Is it a prepaid one?

It's Straight Talk. Data isn't actually unlimited.

 

[vp710]

It's Straight Talk. Data isn't actually unlimited.

Thanks!! Yeah, it seems there are a few restrictions with straight talk: MMS support not guaranteed (for example you have to jailbreak an iPhone to make them work), 100MB/day and 2GB/month data caps (not confirmed) and above all, no tethering. This is a deal breaker when you live in Louisiana and are at the mercy of hurricane induced power outages. Tethering from my 710 was a life saver after Isaac.

 

[anon(5335877)]

Thanks!! Yeah, it seems there are a few restrictions with straight talk: MMS support not guaranteed (for example you have to jailbreak an iPhone to make them work), 100MB/day and 2GB/month data caps (not confirmed) and above all, no tethering. This is a deal breaker when you live in Louisiana and are at the mercy of hurricane induced power outages. Tethering from my 710 was a life saver after Isaac.

Yeah if you rely on data then it's hard for me to recommend Straight Talk. If they think you use "too much" they'll throttle you for what I heard is the rest of your service cycle (each service cycle being thirty day periods).

 

[vp710]

Data is essential in those cases I mentioned. Let's just hope T-Mobile hurries up the refarming.

 

[Terminatorbob]

Depends where you are and on network congestion. With full signal strength on a good day, I seem to get 4-5mbps down (at least I did on my iPhone with the speedtest app, and whatever the WP equivalent was that's now gone), but normally I get 1.5-3mbps on an average day. You'll probably get faster speeds on T-Mobile.

It's actually not unlimited everything, Straight Talk used to actually deactivate people's data if they thought they used too much, then if you called up and got your data reinstated and got caught using too much data again, eventually after a certain number of time's they'd just cancel your account, no refunds.

That's changed now, they appear to be throttling instead. I think if you use too much data and are throttled, you can call in, and they'll fix it but it'll only last for a day. The next day you'll be throttled again and I think this would last until the next billing cycle.

I use Straight Talk, but haven't run into these problems, but I have read about them from others who have. It's hard to recommend them because of the data thing, if you're a heavy data user, it's hard to recommend ST. Plus, if you really like T-Mobile's speeds, even though ST's speeds are decent, it's probably not close to T-Mobile (what are your speeds btw?).

What T-Mobile plan are you on if I may ask?

And you can read more about Straight Talk here if you want. Lots of information, but you kind of need to look for it.

Straight Talk

I average probably 16 down and 1.5 up.

I'm on the 30 dollar a month pre paid plan. 100 minutes, unlimited text and 5gb of 4G data.

Thanks for the link! From the sound of it u might be better off keeping what I have.

 

[anon(5335877)]

I average probably 16 down and 1.5 up.

I'm on the 30 dollar a month pre paid plan. 100 minutes, unlimited text and 5gb of 4G data.

Thanks for the link! From the sound of it u might be better off keeping what I have.

Yeah the $30 plan is a great plan (I've recommended it to a friend), but some months, I need more minutes. I really wish they also offered a plan with 2GB of data, but more minutes.

 

[vp710]

Yeah the $30 plan is a great plan (I've recommended it to a friend), but some months, I need more minutes. I really wish they also offered a plan with 2GB of data, but more minutes.

They do, but it's twice as expensive. Unlimited Talk & Text, 2GB data.

 

[anon(5335877)]

They do, but it's twice as expensive. Unlimited Talk & Text, 2GB data.

Haha, but I don't need unlimited talk.

American carriers: offering plans that don't fit your needs.

A bit off topic, but those mobile share plans? Giving you more of what you don't need (unlimited talk and text) and giving you less of what you want (data).

 

[vp710]

Haha, but I don't need unlimited talk.

American carriers: offering plans that don't fit your needs.

A bit off topic, but those mobile share plans? Giving you more of what you don't need (unlimited talk and text) and giving you less of what you want (data).

Man, I couldn't agree more with this. The mobile landscape in the US is deplorable.

 

[jkrc717]

I wish I knew forsure what is going to happen.

I'm on T-Mobiles unlimited everything for $69.99 a month because I buy the phones. I will not switch carriers and lose this plan. I'll get the 820 if I MUST.

I don't care for 4GLTE. T-Mobile is plenty fast.

All I want is a Lumia 920 that'll work for T-Mobile without any restrictions.

 

[Mystictrust]

Let's just hope T-Mobile hurries up the refarming.

Seconded! I'm hoping that refarming is completed in all major markets by the time Lumia 920 is available unlocked from either Nokia or Microsoft Store.

 

[brmiller1976]

If you're on T-Mobile, Nokia flat-out doesn't want your business. They've made this pretty clear with their actions over the last four years.

Ironically, T-Mo was the only carrier who would sell Symbian phones in the USA, and Nokia "rewarded" that loyalty by dumping crap like the 710 on them. Not even the 800 (and certainly not the 900, which was an AT&T exclusive), but the 710 -- the steamingest pile of Windows Phone I'd ever seen.

Discerning T-Mo users picked the Radar and suffered along with the notion that we were going to be in mid-range territory for a while.

But I'm not complaining. A birdie tells me we'll get the ATIV S and the HTC 8X, both of which should be very competitive -- better in several ways -- and come with unlimited everything for half the monthly price of a capped plan on AT&T.

I like handset makers who strive to meet my needs with things like expandable memory and selling their devices on MY preferred carrier. Ones who try to force me to change carriers and pay 2x or more for lesser service somewhere else can keep their devices. HTC and Samsung will still deliver, baby!

 

[anon(5335877)]

If you're on T-Mobile, Nokia flat-out doesn't want your business. They've made this pretty clear with their actions over the last four years.

Ironically, T-Mo was the only carrier who would sell Symbian phones in the USA, and Nokia "rewarded" that loyalty by dumping crap like the 710 on them. Not even the 800 (and certainly not the 900, which was an AT&T exclusive), but the 710 -- the steamingest pile of Windows Phone I'd ever seen.

Discerning T-Mo users picked the Radar and suffered along with the notion that we were going to be in mid-range territory for a while.

But I'm not complaining. A birdie tells me we'll get the ATIV S and the HTC 8X, both of which should be very competitive -- better in several ways -- and come with unlimited everything for half the monthly price of a capped plan on AT&T.

I like handset makers who strive to meet my needs with things like expandable memory and selling their devices on MY preferred carrier. Ones who try to force me to change carriers and pay 2x or more for lesser service somewhere else can keep their devices. HTC and Samsung will still deliver, baby!

I thought carriers choose the phones they want to sell for their networks, not the other way around.

 

[Reflexx]

I thought carriers choose the phones they want to sell for their networks, not the other way around.

Yup.

That makes the rants extra funny.

 

[brmiller1976]

Not true. T-Mobile is a smaller carrier and is often locked out of getting the "best phones" as a result. That's one reason why it doesn't have the iPhone (T-Mo would LOVE to have it, but Apple won't sell it).

Carrier exclusives are used by the biggest carriers to lock devices to their networks and maintain their share.

I know people at T-Mo headquarters, and they'd love to sell top-range Nokia devices. After all, they continued selling Symbian smartphones long after VZW and AT&T unceremoniously dumped Nokia. T-Mo even tried for a version of the 900, but got turned down by Nokia because they "aren't big enough."

You want "rants?" Try talking to carrier executives who are trying to get devices for their smaller networks. One reason why T-Mo sells so many HTC and Samsung handsets is because both carriers have given their network appropriate attention and a fair selection of top-tier devices.

Ironically, had T-Mo gotten the 900+/910, they'd probably have sold more of them than AT&T did. While AT&T has lots of top phones (including the iPhone), T-Mo has a smaller selection of top-tier handsets. The Lumia 910 would have set T-Mobile apart and gotten much more of a hero treatment in-store and in advertising. But Nokia didn't bite.

That's okay. I'm sure HTC or Samsung will gladly take T-Mobile customers' money... while Nokia decides to try the same "AT&T only" strategy with the 920 that didn't deliver with the 900.

 

[anon(5335877)]

Not true. T-Mobile is a smaller carrier and is often locked out of getting the "best phones" as a result. That's one reason why it doesn't have the iPhone (T-Mo would LOVE to have it, but Apple won't sell it).

Carrier exclusives are used by the biggest carriers to lock devices to their networks and maintain their share.

I know people at T-Mo headquarters, and they'd love to sell top-range Nokia devices. After all, they continued selling Symbian smartphones long after VZW and AT&T unceremoniously dumped Nokia. T-Mo even tried for a version of the 900, but got turned down by Nokia because they "aren't big enough."

You want "rants?" Try talking to carrier executives who are trying to get devices for their smaller networks. One reason why T-Mo sells so many HTC and Samsung handsets is because both carriers have given their network appropriate attention and a fair selection of top-tier devices.

Ironically, had T-Mo gotten the 900+/910, they'd probably have sold more of them than AT&T did. While AT&T has lots of top phones (including the iPhone), T-Mo has a smaller selection of top-tier handsets. The Lumia 910 would have set T-Mobile apart and gotten much more of a hero treatment in-store and in advertising. But Nokia didn't bite.

That's okay. I'm sure HTC or Samsung will gladly take T-Mobile customers' money... while Nokia decides to try the same "AT&T only" strategy with the 920 that didn't deliver with the 900.

I guess both are true then. While a phone manufacturer can't force a carrier to take a phone it doesn't want, a carrier can't choose a phone from a manufacturer if that manufacturer already has an agreement with another carrier to make it an exclusive.

And regarding T-Mobile and the iPhone, I don't think Apple is unwilling to sell it, it's probably more like T-Mobile is unwilling to pay the astronomical price that Apple is asking for (like they did to Sprint). So basically I think they chose to upgrade their network instead of getting the iPhone, and I think they made the right decision. Didn't US Cellular do the same thing too? Apple offered them the iPhone but US Cellular said no, we're spending our money on LTE?

 

[brmiller1976]

US Cellular, like T-Mo, is a "value-oriented" carrier. But the big difference is that T-Mo's value pricing strategy results in a different pitch for handsets.

If you go into T-Mobile, they'll offer you a super-cheap plan, with the option to buy the handset outright. They'll put up to $400 of it on a zero-interest, 20 month plan (where they add the cost of the handset to your bill). They'll charge you the remainder up-front (including tax).

On an iPhone, that would be $700 -- $400 on your "loan," $300 plus sales tax up front, for a 16 GB phone. Apple's not willing to allow T-Mobile to price the device that highly (they demand $199 for the entry iPhone), and T-Mobile's not willing to increase prices on everyone else or take the loss.

T-Mobile doesn't have enough power to force Apple to allow them to sell full-priced handsets. And Sprint's "full price on Virgin Mobile" strategy for the iPhone doesn't appear to be setting the world on fire, saleswise, so Apple's probably not interested in trying it on Magenta.

For US Cellular, they simply don't have the pricing power to absorb the costs on their network at Apple's mandatory pricing levels.

Nokia is likely in a different situation altogether. They're not powerful vis-a-vis carriers, but they think selling the top-tier phone through one carrier will get them more attention. I'd submit that if they were going to do a carrier exclusive, T-Mo is the perfect carrier for it -- the "challenger phone" on the "challenger carrier." But I digress.

T-Mo never gets the top phones due to all this disparity of power. That's why T-Mo customers learned to love Samsung and HTC long before it was fashionable, and why we're likely to see HTC 8X and Samsung ATIV S smartphones long before a 920 variant. Sammy and HTC have shown T-Mo equal love (along with RIM).

 

[anon(5335877)]

US Cellular, like T-Mo, is a "value-oriented" carrier. But the big difference is that T-Mo's value pricing strategy results in a different pitch for handsets.

If you go into T-Mobile, they'll offer you a super-cheap plan, with the option to buy the handset outright. They'll put up to $400 of it on a zero-interest, 20 month plan (where they add the cost of the handset to your bill). They'll charge you the remainder up-front (including tax).

On an iPhone, that would be $700 -- $400 on your "loan," $300 plus sales tax up front, for a 16 GB phone. Apple's not willing to allow T-Mobile to price the device that highly (they demand $199 for the entry iPhone), and T-Mobile's not willing to increase prices on everyone else or take the loss.

T-Mobile doesn't have enough power to force Apple to allow them to sell full-priced handsets. And Sprint's "full price on Virgin Mobile" strategy for the iPhone doesn't appear to be setting the world on fire, saleswise, so Apple's probably not interested in trying it on Magenta.

For US Cellular, they simply don't have the pricing power to absorb the costs on their network at Apple's mandatory pricing levels.

Nokia is likely in a different situation altogether. They're not powerful vis-a-vis carriers, but they think selling the top-tier phone through one carrier will get them more attention. I'd submit that if they were going to do a carrier exclusive, T-Mo is the perfect carrier for it -- the "challenger phone" on the "challenger carrier." But I digress.

T-Mo never gets the top phones due to all this disparity of power. That's why T-Mo customers learned to love Samsung and HTC long before it was fashionable, and why we're likely to see HTC 8X and Samsung ATIV S smartphones long before a 920 variant. Sammy and HTC have shown T-Mo equal love (along with RIM).

Exactly, their Value Plan, sort of like how they do things in Europe. Except I have come to the conclusion that Americans can't do math (well not every American) but people here don't realize how much more they pay with a plan that subsidizes phones, or how much they can save by buying a phone outright and choosing T-Mobile's Value plan or some other prepaid service. As soon as they see $500 for a phone, they run away. Even the mighty iPhone can't sell on VM because of it's $650 price tag (plus I heard VM isn't that great--actually--the Sprint network isn't that great. Their data speeds are lacking).

I was really hoping that the fact that iPhones would get HSPA speeds on T-Mobile in the next couple or so months would help bring more people to T-Mobile. But now, I'm not so sure. Will people be willing to pay full price for an unlocked iPhone 5 to take it to T-Mobile?

And what about the Lumia 920? If it doesn't show up on T-Mobile will people be willing to get one from AT&T (if it's unlockable) or an unlocked one from overseas (UK) and paying almost as much or even more than an unlocked iPhone (due to the exchange rate)?

 

[brmiller1976]

I doubt many people will go the unlock-and-SIM approach with the 920 on T-Mobile.

For one thing, the 1900/2100 MHz band on T-Mo will be single-channel, versus 3-channel HSPA+42. You'd be getting 1/3 of the speed of a T-Mo native phone.

Second, I'd bet that at least one of the high-end handsets on T will include support for the company's upcoming LTE network (starting rollout in 2013). The AT&T radio won't work for that.

Finally, there's the complexity and cost question. I'm sure T will simply say "hey, we have lots of Windows Phone 8 handsets here made for our network, and they're cheaper than getting an AT&T thing to work on this."

The main reason people are willing to get an unlocked iPhone on T-Mo is because T doesn't offer an iOS option. They're certain to offer numerous WP8 options, just like they offer Android options. So all the people anxious to get a WP will be well-covered.

Just as not many people bring over a Sony Xperia, but choose a Galaxy S II/III or HTC One S on Magenta, I'm sure the same thing will happen for WP.

 

[squire777]

I have been looking at the specifications for the 920 on Nokia's global website and the frequencies don't list those for AWS (T-Mobile, Wind Mobile, Moblicity etc). But, the thing that is interesting is that the specifications for the 710 don't list 1700/2100 mhz as well, but I got my 710 unlocked and got it to work on AWS.

I'll hold out hope that somehow an unlocked version of the 920 will be able to run on T-Mobile, Wind etc.